Unbreakable
by starlightandseaglass
Summary: "And for once in her life, she felt invincible, unbreakable." The story of Marlene McKinnon, told through journal entries.
1. August 24 1971 - Marlene McKinnon

_08.24.1971 – Marlene McKinnon_

Ever since I was little, I've known who I was going to marry. Sirius Black, heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, the person who will secure my family's place in pureblood society, the person who my parents arranged for me to marry when I was less than a week old. Supposedly, he'll make the perfect pureblood husband.

The only problem? I've never met him.

Seriously. I can tell you where the Black family's four vacation homes are and just how pure his blood is and the middle name of his great-great grandfather on his mother's side, but I can't tell you what he looks like. I don't know if he's tall or blonde or funny or smart or dull or manipulative or kind. I can't tell you what color his eyes are, how he takes his tea, or who his favorite Quidditch team is. I couldn't pick him out of a group of people if my life depended on it.

I know. What were my parents thinking?

I've tried for several years to get my parents to cancel my betrothal. Unfortunately, I haven't succeeded yet.

I have to though. I may not have ever met this Sirius Black, but from what I've heard of the Black family, they're not exactly pleasant people.

Why do my parents hate me so much?


	2. September 1 1971 - Marlene McKinnon

_09.01.1971 – Marlene McKinnon_

Breakfast this morning was hectic. My oldest brother, Matthew, brought his wife and children over for breakfast and to see us off, because I start Hogwarts today. My sister Victoria and her husband came too. In total, there was 12 of us.

Matthew, or Matt, as I call him, is 24. He married Luciella Yaxley when he was 19. My parents arranged it. Matt and Luciella don't get along very well; Matt was a Gryffindor and proud of it, to my parents' dismay, while Luciella was a haughty Slytherin. They have two kids, a precious four year old named Marianne after my mother (Anne) and I, and a darling two year old named Jonathan.

My sister Victoria is 19, and, surprisingly, was a Slytherin. I personally think she should have been a Ravenclaw, but I guess there's some quality in her that makes her a Slytherin or she wouldn't have been one. She recently married Isaac Flint (another arranged marriage), but unlike with Matt and Luciella, they actually get along and (maybe) kind of fancy each other.

My brother Ethan is a Ravenclaw about to start his last year at Hogwarts. He's also Head Boy. He's supposed to marry Phoebe Greengrass after they graduate.

Elsa is 14 and a Slytherin through and through. She enjoys trying to make my life a living hell, though I have no idea why. She's also the perfect child in my parents' eyes. Matt's the screw-up, Victoria's too soft, and Ethan's not a Slytherin. Judgment is yet to be passed on Samuel and I. Elsa's also the only one of us who managed to escape an arranged marriage, but so far my efforts to transfer mine to her haven't been successful.

Then there's me. I'm 11 and am the future Lady Black, much to my dismay. Unlike my siblings, who inherited my father's dark curls and hazel eyes, my blonde hair falls straight down my back, and I have my mother's crystal blue eyes.

Finally, there's Samuel. He's only 7, but already he acts like a miniature, male Elsa. He's supposed to marry Amelia Avery.

Over breakfast this morning, Father said, "When you are sorted into Slytherin, Marlene-"

"Slytherin?" Matt interrupted, ignoring his wife's withering glare. "Marley's gonna be a Gryffindor like me!"

"Manners, Matthew," Mother chided. "And your sister's name is Marlene,"

"I think Marlene could be a good Ravenclaw," Ethan commented.

"Ravenclaw would be acceptable," Father had agreed. "But Slytherin would be preferred. Now, as I was saying, Marlene, after you are sorted, please make an effort to meet Mr Black. Is that understood?"

I nodded. When Matt was at Hogwarts, he didn't so much as look at Luciella until their third year, when Father forced him to meet her. Since then, if we don't meet with our fiancé/fiancée in the first few days of school, Father arranges a meeting for us.

We made polite small talk the rest of the meal, punctuated only by Victoria excusing herself in the middle, looking sick. Isaac quickly followed her (I have my suspicions as to what is going on, but I'm not going to share them yet). I finished eating soon after and excused myself to finish packing and to write in this.

I must stop writing now; Matt just yelled up that we're leaving.


	3. Later

_Later_

After saying goodbye to our family, Ethan, Elsa, and I boarded the Hogwarts Express. I found an empty compartment and Ethan helped me carry my trunk in before he disappeared. Elsa had already left, sneering at me one last time before going to find her friends.

I was joined a few minutes later by a girl named Alice Prewitt. She had long, dirty blonde hair and green eyes; I recognized her from one of the many pureblood parties our families had required us to attend.

We chatted about Hogwarts, Quidditch, and our families for a while before a knock sounded on the compartment doors and it slid open. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" A plump, motherly witch asked.

I nodded and stood. Candy was a rare treat at my house, and I loved it. Deciding to buy extra in case my new friend wanted some (and so I had some for my cousin James if he made an appearance), I bought a little of everything.

"That'll be 11 sickles and 7 knuts," The witch smiled. I handed her the coins and took my candy, dumping it on the seat between me and Alice before sitting down. I offered Alice a chocolate frog.

"Let me know if you want anything," I smiled at her. She nodded and took the frog.

We sat that way for a while, laughing and sharing sweets. Suddenly, the compartment door slammed open and two boys tumbled in, landing in a heap on the floor.

"Quick, James, shut the door!" One of the boys exclaimed. He was tall, with dark hair and silvery grey eyes.

My heart leapt. James! He stood up and closed the door, then reached down and helped the first boy up.

James was my cousin, or at least, that was what we told people. He was actually something like my 4th cousin once removed, but his family was as good as mine. His parents were my Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus. I spent a lot of time with James, something my parents didn't exactly approve of.

"Er, hello…" Alice said quietly, catching the attention of the boys, who turned to look at us. "I'm Alice, Alice Prewitt,"

"James Potter," James introduced himself to Alice.

"Hey Jamie," I grinned. "Good to see you. I'm Marlene McKinnon," I told the other boy.

James grinned back at me, but his friends' mouth dropped open. "McKinnon?" He echoed.

"Sirius," James laughed. "I know Marley's pretty – of course she is, she's my cousin - but come on dude! A girl's seriously got you speechless?"

I could vaguely hear Alice laughing from next to me but my mind was locked on something James had said at the beginning of his sentence. "Sirius?" I ask, realization dawning on me. "As in _Sirius Black_?"

Sirius nodded, still staring at me with wide eyes. "You're Marlene McKinnon?"

I nodded.

"Marley? Sirius?" James asked, looking between Sirius and me in confusion. "What's going on?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're new friend is _Sirius Black_, Jamie. Also known as my fiancé," I grimaced.

"Oh," James said. He grinned. "Well Marley, you couldn't have done much worse, I'm afraid,"

"Hey!" Sirius complained.

James ignored him, swiping a chocolate frog from my pile of sweets and sitting down across from me.

"Hey!" I complained. "Get your own candy James!"

He ignored me too.

I turned to Sirius and offered him a frog. "You might as well sit,"

He smiled thankfully at me, took the frog, and sat down next to James. The four of us fell into easy conversation, and I took it as an opportunity to learn as much about Sirius as possible.

I found out that his favorite Quidditch team is Puddlemere United, his favorite candy is Every Flavor Beans, he doesn't want to be like his family, he wants to be a Gryffindor, and he makes me laugh.

Finally, we reached Hogwarts, and piled off the train. In the chaos, Alice and I got separated from James and Sirius. We ended up in a boat with a redhead named Lily Evans and her friend, Severus Snape. After what seemed like hours, we were taken into the Great Hall and sorted, by a talking hat no less.

I watched as people I knew were sorted. Sirius Black was a Gryffindor, as was the redhead from the boat. Finally, it was my turn.

_Hm… You're an interesting one for a McKinnon. Smart, for sure, witty, and extremely loyal…You love learning…You have very strong opinions and aren't afraid to voice them, are you? You'd make a good Gryffindor, much like your brother… Though Ravenclaw would suit you well too. What to do with you?_

Truth be told, I wanted to be a Gryffindor, wanted to step out from under my family's shadow, but I was scared to death of disappointing them. _I can't be a Gryffindor._ I told the hat._ I'm afraid._

_Courage is not the absence of fear, Marlene McKinnon, but doing the right thing even when you're afraid. You'd do well to remember that. GRYFFINDOR!_

Surprised, I stumbled towards the Gryffindor table and sat next to Sirius, who grinned and threw his arm around me, exclaiming, "That's my girl!" I blushed.

I watched as Dorcas Meadows, Peter Pettigrew, Alice Prewitt, and James Potter were sorted into Gryffindor alongside us.

I'm up in the 1st year Gryffindor Girls dorm now. There are four of us in here. I share a dorm with Alice, the redhead from the boats (her name is Lily Evans, I found out), a pretty brunette named Mary McDonald, and a shy, quiet girl named Dorcas Meadows.

I just sent a letter off to my parents informing them of my sorting. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent a Howler tomorrow. That's what they did when Matt was sorted into Gryffindor.


	4. September 7 1971 - Marlene McKinnon

_09.07.1971 – Marlene McKinnon_

I was right. Father sent a Howler, telling me how I'm a disgrace and how I should be ashamed of myself. Matt sent a letter as well, telling me how proud of me he was and to not let our parents get me down.

Sirius got a Howler too, from his mother. It basically said the same thing as mine.

We started classes Monday. My schedule is:

_Monday: Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw), Defense Against Dark Arts (with Slytherin), History of Magic (All Houses), Herbology (with Hufflepuff)_

_Tuesday: Potions (with Slytherin), Herbology (with Hufflepuff), Charms (with Slytherin), Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw)_

_Wednesday: Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw), DADA (with Slytherin), History of Magic (All Houses), Charms (with Slytherin)_

_Thursday: Potions (with Slytherin) Herbology (with Hufflepuff), Charms (with Slytherin), DADA (with Slytherin)_

_Friday: History of Magic (All Houses), Potions (with Slytherin)_

We've had a week of classes so far, and I can already tell Defense is going to be my favorite class. Professor Moore is kind enough, and seems to really know what he's talking about.

Transfiguration is… interesting, I suppose. When we first got there, I sat by Lily Evans. We've become pretty good of friends over the week, even if she is friends with that weird Slytherin boy, Snape. Then McGonagall announced that she was going to be assigning us seats for the next seven years in her class. She let most people stay where they were, but then she got to James and Sirius, who were already causing trouble. She made Sirius switch with Lily, to both her dismay and mine.

Sirius and James, on the other hand, were both grinning widely. I scowled at Sirius as he sat down next to me and flung and arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off.

It wasn't that I didn't like Sirius, but I would much rather have sat by Lily or James. Besides, we were going to be stuck in these seats for all of the seven years we would at Hogwarts and even though we got along well enough right now, this whole arranged marriage thing could easily ruin things between them.

Lily, of course, was horrified. Though we'd only been at Hogwarts a week, Lily had already made her dislike of James clear. It was a bit of a sore point between us, given that James was my cousin and my best mate, but we've simply avoided the topic; we've done the same with her Slytherin friend. I avoid telling her what I think of her best mate being a Slytherin, and she avoids telling me what she thinks of my best mate being James.

I haven't told her about my betrothal to Sirius yet, as she doesn't particularly like him either, and I fully intend to have this situation resolved before I need to tell her. Though Sirius actually seems to be a pretty good guy, I don't relish the idea of my freedom being taken away. I mean, married by my 20th birthday, and a kid by my 21st? No way.

I've already written a letter to my parents, detailing just what an uneducated, disrespectful, ill-behaved git Sirius is (not that I actually think that about him) and how much better off I'd be breaking the betrothal and choosing a suitable husband on my own. I'll send it after they've had time to recover from the news of my sorting.


	5. September 27 1971 - James Potter

_09.27.1971 – James Potter_

Hey Marley, so I somehow ended up with your diary. I really don't know how it got in my bag. Honestly. Please don't kill me. I swear, I didn't do anything.

Anyways, since I have your diary, I figured I'd tell you about my first month at Hogwarts (even though you're here too, so there's really no point).

Sirius (who's reading over my shoulder as I write this, by the way) and I share a dormitory with two other boys, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus was really quiet and shy at first. He's always got his nose in a book. I swear, he should be a Ravenclaw. Then again, so should Evans and even you maybe for that matter. And Pete should be a Hufflepuff. Maybe the Hat's getting senile or something. Dumbledore should look into it. Anyways, even though we thought he was kind of weird at first (I mean, who reads books for fun? No offense Mar), he's actually pretty great once you get to know him. He helped us with a prank the other day (you know, when we turned Snivellus' – Snape's – hair green? He gave us the spell. Maybe reading does have its uses).

Peter is… honestly, I don't know what to think of him. He's quiet too, and practically afraid of his own shadow. He follows Sirius and I around. We feel kind of bad for him, so we let him tag along. He's kind of slow, but he's funny sometimes. And nice, I guess.

I'm pretty sure your friend Evans hates me. Which is too bad, really, she's pretty. But it's not my fault she's friends with Snivellus. The greasy haired git deserves everything he gets. How can Evans be friends with him?

Will you ask her for me? And ask her why she hates me too while you're at it.

I'll give this back to you tomorrow.


	6. October 4 1971 - Marlene McKinnon

_10.04.1971 – Marlene McKinnon_

September 27 wasn't yesterday. And somehow I don't believe James when he says that he just forgot he had my journal. Or when he said he didn't read the entries. Especially since he wrote one of his own.

I fought with Lily earlier. James came up to me in the Library while I was studying with Lily and Snape (why she insists on being friends with him, I'll never know. He's a creep). All he wanted to do was return my journal. But then Snape was all rude to him and so they got in an argument (what Snape's greasy hair had to do with why James was bothering us I don't know) and then Lily got mad and yelled at them to shut up. And so then of course we got kicked out of the Library for making too much noise and Lily had the nerve to blame it on James!

"You were the one who yelled," I pointed out. "And Snape started the argument by being rude to James,"

"He started the argument by coming to annoy us in the first place," Lily shot back.

"James is my friend, Lily! He's allowed to spend time with me occasionally!"

"Can't you spend time with him when I'm not around? You know I don't like him,"

"I spend time with you and Snape even though I don't like him," I pointed out.

"That's different!" Lily protested.

"How?"

"Potter's an arrogant toerag!"

"And Snape is a creepy slimeball who practices the Dark Arts," I shot back.

"You know what, forget it. I'm done. I can't be friends with you if you can't be nice to Severus,"

I ignored her and turned to James. "Let's go, Jamie. Goodbye Evans. Have fun with Snivellus,"

And we left. After that, James returned my journal and declared I needed cheering up, so he took me up to the boys dorms, where he and Sirius proceeded to insult Lily and Snivellus until I felt better. After a while, it helped. Lily was obviously insane for befriending Snape, and Snivellus was a greasy git. We also ate chocolate frogs and then we planned pranks we could play on Lily and Snape.

So long story short, Snivellus is evil, I'm not talking to Lily anymore because she doesn't like me being friends with James, and James and Sirius are seriously good at cheering people up. And I finally got my journal back.


End file.
